the Walnut Boulder

Kitchens On Fire is back!

May 21, 2010

The popular home tour featuring high end kitchen design, highlighting current kitchen trends and looks will make a stop at The Walnut in Boulder.  The Walnut emphasizes kitchen design in an urban environment.  With space at a premium in condo living, The Walnut was able to represent style, function and flow even in a kitchen that may see more takeout than cooking.  Come see our “hot kitchens” on Friday June 11^th and Saturday 12^th. This event benefits The Dairy Center for the Arts in Boulder, and if you would like to join the tour please contact The Dairy Center, at 303-440-7826, for ticket information.

Moveable Feast

The Walnut is participating in the 2010 Moveable Feast on June 5^th.  This function benefits the Blue Sky Bridge, a non-profit established to provide funds related to the treatment of child abuse.  Participants pay $175 per person and are able to enjoy drinks, appetizers, dinner and dessert at various high end properties in Boulder.  All meals are professionally prepared, and the patrons enjoy different culinary treats and a home tour all in one evening.  This event is sold out and The Walnut is fortunate to be serving 16 lucky people dinner with an unobstructed, flatiron view and a Boulder sunset!

Boulder, CO – A Magnet for High-Tech Start-Ups

May 19, 2010

Read the following New York Times article.

HIGH & LOW | Boulder, CO. Mile-High Views

December 17, 2009

By BETHANY LYTTLE

BUYING real estate in Boulder, Colo., which sits at an elevation of 5,430 feet where the Rocky Mountains meet the Great Plains, guarantees more than great views. It also promises that those views will be available for a very long time. Controlled urban growth is serious business in this city of just over 100,000. You won’t find housing developments creeping up the hillsides. And thanks to four-story height restrictions, you won’t find towers competing with the peaks. Even from downtown you can look out on the tens of thousands of acres of open space, conservation easements and nature preserves that surround the city. And about one quarter of the city’s sales tax and use tax go toward protecting even more open space. Should you be inclined, you can be hiking, biking or walking through those views in minutes.

Real estate agents say there is an influx of second-home owners who put a premium on the natural environment. At a downtown condominium called the Walnut, for example, about half the buyers are second-home owners who like having a short walk or bike ride to the great outdoors.

Retirees seeking city amenities in a wilderness setting are looking to Boulder too. “It’s not just the lifestyle here — people want the lower taxes too,” said John McElveen, a broker associate with Re/Max of Boulder. “We see a lot of Californians and buyers from the Northeast.”

Pearl Street Mall, a four-block pedestrian promenade and social hub in Boulder, features restaurants, stores, offices and galleries. And the University of Colorado, Boulder, with more than 30,000 students, is within walking distance of downtown.

This city has a mild climate and historically has about 300 sunny days a year. For those who care even remotely about fitness, extensive trail systems make it almost impossible to escape staying in shape.

Condominiums downtown and nearby range from $250,000 for a 900-square-foot one-bedroom unit in a 1980s building to $6 million for a 5,200-square-foot luxury penthouse. But most high-end condominiums cluster in the $1 million to $2.5 million range, and newer entry-level units downtown start at about $400,000.

HIGH
HOW MUCH $2,399,000
WHAT Two-bedroom condominium
WHERE Walnut Street

This fourth-floor penthouse has 2,150 square feet of living space and an additional 1,500 square feet of deck. It has an open floor plan, hardwood floors, a gas fireplace and professional appliances. There are views of the Flatirons, Bear Peak, Green Mountain and Flagstaff Mountain. The unit has two full bathrooms. It is one block from the Pearl Street Mall and about three blocks from Boulder Creek Path. Amenities include a shared interior courtyard and garden, and underground parking. Fees are $727 a month. Taxes are $13,200 a year. Broker: John McElveen, Re/Max of Boulder, (303) 441-5652; j-macoboulder.com.

LOW
HOW MUCH $399,000
WHAT One-bedroom condominium
WHERE Mapleton Avenue

This 674-square-foot unit is in one of the oldest apartment buildings in Boulder. Formerly a women’s boarding house, it was built in 1906 and converted to condominiums in the 1990s. The building is in the Mapleton Hill Historic District, about six blocks from the Pearl Street Mall. The unit has exposed brick walls, hardwood floors and original millwork, door hardware and double-hung windows. The bathroom has a claw-foot tub. The updated kitchen includes recessed lighting and granite countertops. Fees are $300 a month. Taxes are $2,108 a year. Agent: Dave Naber, Walnut Realty; (303) 442-3180, walnutrealty.com.

Read the New York Time Travel article.

Second Home Buyers Look for More Urban Environments

October 15, 2009

by CHRIS PALMERI

When Andy Bush went to market with the Walnut, a condo complex in Boulder, Colorado, he figured the buyers would be young single professionals and empty nesters. Instead many of the development’s first takers fit a different demo—the second home buyer eyeing retirement.

They come from New York, Kansas City, the San Francisco Bay area. They like the laid back, college town, mountain vibe of Boulder, but also its proximity to Denver, the sports and cultural institutions, the international airport.

Boulder ain’t cheap: One bedrooms at the Walnut start at $500,000. Larger units go up to $5 million. But the idea is that in these leaner, less frivolous times when people are working longer and part time into their golden years, they are less likely to choose more remote second home markets such as Vail or Big Sky, Montana.

Bush hopes to do more of such projects in creative class cities such as Austin and Charleston, which he calls the “new retirement communities.”

From BusinessWeek.